A UPS driver fills up a UPS truck with liquid natural gas on August 18, 2013.

A consortium including Japan's JERA and Marubeni is planning to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Australia's east coast, aiming to supply industrial gas users and possibly a new power plant.

This is the second proposed LNG import terminal for Australia, the world's number 2 LNG exporter, looking to fill a supply gap at a time when the country's gas producers have locked in long-term contracts to supply LNG to Japan, China and South Korea.

A final investment decision is expected this year on the project to import up to around 2 million tonnes a year of LNG starting in 2020 into a market where energy prices are soaring, said a spokesman for Australian Industrial Energy.

"This market is desperate for new gas," James Baulderstone, a former Santos executive who is leading Australian Industrial Energy, told Reuters.